


Promise

by NightmareWolf



Series: EW Future AU [3]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Gen, Headcanon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-02-28 19:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18763126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareWolf/pseuds/NightmareWolf
Summary: To be courageous, one needs to know fear. And by god, if you make it through this, you'll be the bravest person to ever live.





	1. Leap of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> WHEEEW STRAP IN BOYS IM MAKING A MULTI-CHAPTER STORY  
> ok keep in mind, 1. a lot of these things are based on headcanons, 2. this is an AU of an AU where tom and matt dont abandon edd and stay with him in the resistance, 3. you can read the other stories in my series to get a better understanding of this world—not required, but it's there.  
> HOPE U ENJOYY

"Edd—Edd wake up!"

The voice was nothing more but a faint, hush whisper, no louder than a summer breeze. Edd immediately snapped awake, his eyes wide and unadjusted to the dark. He felt his heart pounding in his ears, the rhythmic thumping coaxing him into sitting up-right. Normally, he would never act like this. He would dismiss whoever was trying to wake him up with an annoyed grumble. But things weren't normal anymore—things were different. As the biggest criminal wanted by the entire country's army, you always had to be alert. You could not let your guard down even for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Edd hissed in the darkness, willing his wildly racing heart to calm so he could listen for any out of place sounds. But besides the soft snoring of his companion Matt, he heard nothing. 

"N-No—well, yes, sort of." Edd identified the voice of Tom. He looked down at his friend who was snuggled up beside him. In the pale moonlight he could barley make out his features—spiky hair, an unshaven stubble, and wide, terrified eyes. The look of pure horror in his friend's gaze, even in the absence of light, made Edd shudder.

"Well, out with it," Edd prompted.

"I can't see!" 

Edd, for a moment, wanted to smack Tom across the face. How dare he worry him with such a stupid joke? Of course he couldn't see! Save for the moon, it was totally dark out! His mouth hung open, and he was about to reply back with a scathing retort before it clicked in his mind and the horror set in.

"You—" Edd could barley find what little strength he had to speak. "Are you sure it isn't just because it's dark out?"

"I-I don't know!" Tom's voice raised to a terrified wail, his voice and mouth quivering. Had the stars still been in his eyes, not having faded away a year ago, he was sure Tom's eyes would have lit up white with distress. Edd gave Tom an instinctive warning  _shh!_ and saw the other shrink behind his shoulders, muttering a bitter "sorry."

"I just...I'm really scared, Edd," he continued, his eyes pleading for comfort.

Edd wanted to answer his worries. As the leader, he wanted to be there for his friend. He wanted to keep him close, tell him everything would be alright in the end, that they'll pull through—but he couldn't bring himself to lie so blatantly.

As if God were buying him time, he heard a quiet groan come from beside him. He glanced over at Matt who had stirred in his sleep. He soon awoke, his one good eye drowsily opening and dull with exhaustion. "What're you two doin'...?" he mumbled, slurred with sleep.

"Nothing, Matt. Go back to sleep," Edd quickly dismissed. In their state, they needed all the strength they could get, and that meant Matt needed to rest—especially after loosing his left eye only a month ago. There was a dark, gruesome wound where it once was. A slice no thicker than a penny but stretched from his eyebrow to his cheek, and in the middle it tore open further. Now it was nothing but a reminder of their harsh reality. The wound had since stopped bleeding, forever scarred and crusted with blood. Edd was thankful the wound didn't get infected. After all, they had no first-aid. They were alone in this world with nobody to help them. However, that didn't mean the pain still wasn't there. Edd would never forget the pure shrieks of agony, or the soldier who shot the arrow, or the sickening amount of blood that still made Edd nauseous thinking about it. He'd never wish such pain upon his enemies—not even Red Leader—and he could only helplessly stand on the sidelines as his friend bared the burden.

Shaking the memory from his mind, Edd focused back on Tom. "Look, let's wait until dawn when the light is out. We'll see how your eyes are doing then, okay?"

"'M eye is fine..." Matt sleepily murmured, mistaking Edd's comment to be for him and not Tom. Edd in any other reality would find this funny and maybe chuckle, but he couldn't even crack a smile. This was all to real—all to heartbreaking to even find remotely humorous.

His friends were suffering and he could do nothing to help them.

 

* * *

 

Edd blinked away sleep from his eyes as he adjusted to the newfound light of the rundown abandoned apartment they stayed in. It was morning—the sun had risen—and Matt was beginning to awake as well. Edd shifted uncomfortably; even after two years of this, he never found it comfortable sleeping huddled up with two other people. But when the seasons are growing colder, you have to do what you can to stay warm. Just as he thought of the coldness of the coming months, Edd realized the spot on his right was also cold. Tom had vanished. 

His worries about the weather and his sleepiness was soon forgotten as he stood up, wide awake. He frantically scanned the dim-lighted room for his friend. He couldn't have gone far, could he? Even Tom wasn't stupid enough to go out on his own. Edd took a few paces forward, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow trying to locate his missing companion. His feet froze like roots in the ground as he heard a sudden  _meow_ come from nearby. Figuring it was his pet cat Tequila, Edd scampered over to the source of the mewling.

His furry friend was sitting on the ground with her head high up; her brown tabby fur bristled and her elegant tail kinked up—something was bothering her. It didn't take Edd any sort of detective skill to figure out what was troubling her, however. By her, Tom sat up on his knees, gazing out a broken window. At this point the sun was high enough in the sky to reflect light off of what little snow there was, and Edd couldn't help but wince in pain from the powerful light.

"Tom," Edd's voice came out firmly. It wasn't cold or angry, but it was stern, as if indirectly asking for an explanation.

He saw his friend's head lower under his shoulders, and for a few moments silence pierced the atmosphere. Then, Tom gave his reply. It had a subtle tremor to it, his voice filled with grief and sorrow. But above all the misery and hopelessness it was undeniably clear what else it held: acceptance.

"Edd, I think I'm blind."

It took a few moments for the words to set in, but soon pure icy terror gripped Edd. He knew, no matter how much he tried to ignore it, that this day would come. Tom had eye cancer and had been slowly loosing his vision. They had known it wouldn't be long before it went away completely. His only wish was that he could've done something to stop it.

 _You could've_ , a voice cut in.  _Red Leader could have easily made a visor for Tom. He still can._

 _We can't go to Red Leader!_ Edd fired back at himself.  _We're his enemies. If he doesn't kill us first, Tom will be forced to join the Red Army._

_And because of that, he'll never be able to see again._

Edd felt sick with remorse.

"Edd?" Tom had prompted nervously. The taller male saw his friend still sitting down, looking up at him with wide, unfocused eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Tom," Edd choked out. He took a few steps forward and slumped next to his friend. "I wish I could've done something."

"There was nothing more we could do," Tom told him, but Edd knew that was a lie. Tom continued, "but I don't know how useful I'll be anymore."

With another sharp jab of sympathy, Edd realized Tom was right. He was blind now, and none of them knew how to help him with that. They had no aid, no experience. They were being hunted by a fucking army, what chance did Tom stand? He was as useful as a sitting duck, but Edd would not say that to his face. He would do anything to protect his friend, it was the least he could do. 

"What's going on over here?" Edd heard the drowsy voice of Matt. His ginger hair looked almost like a pale gold in the morning light as he stepped forward to greet them.

"Tom's—Tom's gone blind," he painfully announced. He saw the sorrow reflect in his friend's emerald colored eye, his head lowered.

"I hoped that wouldn't happen," Matt mumbled sadly. He lifted his head back up, his gaze meeting Edd's. "We need to do something! Maybe Red Leader—"

"Red Leader!" Tom hissed out with disbelief and furry. "I'd rather die than surrender myself to that cold-blooded psycho!" 

"But you're blind, Tom," Matt tried to reason, his voice shaking with uncertainty and fear. "What can we do? Only Red Leader can fix this."

"Then I guess I'm staying blind," Tom snarled back. "It's just another challenge to overcome."

Edd had to admit—he admired the courage that Tom possessed. He was usually pessimistic and cowardly, but Edd found that he seemed stronger these past few months. Perhaps he had learned to grow stronger? Or was he just acting this way for the sake of him and Matt? After all, Edd caught the doubt and misery that lingered in Tom's voice no matter how hard he declared that he would overcome this. Tom himself doubted he would be able to go on. 

_Then I'll just have to have enough hope for the two of us._

"Matt," Edd suddenly spoke, lifting himself up from the ground. "I want you to go out—alone—and see if you can find any food, water, or weapons," he ordered. Matt nodded, being used to receiving orders from Edd at this point as he was the unofficial leader. "Be  _extra_ careful. You'll be by yourself."

"I know, mum." Matt rolled his eye.

"I'm going out, too," Edd continued on as if Matt hadn't spoken. He didn't specify where he was going; he didn't think it was the right time to.

"What about me...?" Meekly, Tom raised his head and spoke, looking unsure of what answer he would receive.

"Stay here with Tequila as guard," Edd told him. He saw a flash of pain in Tom's eyes, knowing that he was purposefully being left behind, and Edd could only hope with all his heart that the other understood he had to do this.

 _I'm sorry, Tom,_ he silently apologized.  _But it won't be long. I'll fix this, I promise._

 

* * *

 

 

 _Maybe I should have told Matt and Tom where I was heading,_ Edd thought to himself. To be completely honest, he figured he was lost. Turn after turn, the barren streets all looked the same. Nobody was out, save for patrolling guards. God, it was impossible to imagine a time where the streets were filled with civilians, cheerful and going about their day. Now no matter how blue the sky was everything felt crushingly oppressive. But despite such a soul-crushing atmosphere, it fueled Edd further on. To bring the Red Army down and free everybody of this—it was his goal.

Navigating would have been a lot easier  _and_ faster if he weren't a wanted criminal. If the guards saw him, he'd be caught if he didn't put up a good fight, and given he was so hungry and dehydrated Edd didn't know if he would be able to win. But alas, these were the conditions he was forced to live with, and he would live with them until he died or dismantled this godforsaken army...preferably the latter.

After some tricky twists and turns, Edd heaved himself up onto a steep hill on the side of the road. He relied on the undergrowth and trees to hide him from sight as he continued onward—by leaving the city and entering fields and forests, Edd was risking getting potentially lost. But, on the bright side, less guards would be patrolling here, letting Edd move quicker and less stealthily along the landscape.

His hands propped him up from the frozen land as he began trudging along on his feet, dirt and scrapes still littered his palms after climbing the hill and he quickly brushed them against his long trench coat. Leaves and straw crackled under his heavy footsteps, leaving him walking along less-than-stealthily. It was especially disconcerting as the trees began to thin out and became sparser, leaving Edd in a moor-like clearing that stretched for miles. Even if he were surrounded by trees, being out in the open made him feel vulnerable. He quickly continued on north, running through the field and panting with relief as he reached a dense forest of pine trees. It was darker and harder to navigate—especially when each wrong turn could lead you into a prickly tree—but Edd wasn't one to give up, now was he?

He made his way through the pine forest, the ground becoming gradually more uneven until he was walking along what felt like ledges. The shift in territory forced Edd to deviate from his path and take some different turns as to avoid falling to his death. Jump here, turn here, walk though this narrow ravine, crawl through here...it felt like a maze, for God's sake! By the time he saw civilization pass the trees he sat down to catch his breath. His legs and feet ached, and his stomach was twisted in pain from hunger. He did his best to try and ignore it, though. There wasn't any food around here—admittedly he was hoping to find a clear stream of water or an apple tree, but luck was not in his favor. He sighed, knowing there wasn't anything he could do about his misfortune, and decided just to accept it. He looked up to the sky. The sun hung overhead and Edd had to squint to even see it; it must be the afternoon, he figured. As he watched puffy white clouds drift in the sky, passing the sun and trees from below, he couldn't help but wonder what Tom and Matt were doing right now. He hated being away from them for so long, what would he do if they needed help? They could be dying right now and he wouldn't know! The intrusive thought made anxiety gnaw at his empty stomach, which didn't feel very good to say the least. He took a deep breath; Tom and Matt will be fine. They were stronger than he gave them credit for, even if Tom was blind now...

Right, that's why he's here. He has to stop wasting daylight! He needed to cover all the ground he could while he can still see it. Edd stood back up, fatigue withering away what little energy he had left, and yet he forced himself to go on. He emerged from the thick forest to come to the side of a road, a few houses stood by it. Edd narrowed his eyes. He...didn't recognize this place. Was he lost? Oh God, please don't let him be lost. 

In the distance, Edd could make out the shapes of large buildings.  _The city!_ He thought with relieved excitement. That's where he needed to go. If he continued onward, he should reach it by nightfall, granted all goes well.

scampering around roads and buildings, using large grass and trees to conceal himself, Edd made his way around the suburbs. It seemed this place was constructed of nothing but houses, roads, and sparse greenery. Honestly, he wondered if he were walking in a circle as he traveled. But if he was, that was one big fucking circle.

His suspicion was quickly shot down, thankfully, as a longer stretch of road lead to a large, brick building. He was on the outside of the city! He wasn't too far now!

He ignored his thirst, hunger, and weariness as he kept going. He snuck around the alleyways of the city, thankful that not many people were out. Plus, the sun was now setting behind him, blinding most people who were looking in his general direction to begin with. He took a sharp turn around a narrow strip; the ground wasn't even paved with asphalt, and few stems of grass grew on the barren dirt. Edd squeezed his way through, grunting uncomfortably at the tight walls. Hey, at least it provided cover, right? 

His eyes locked with a large pipe bolted against the adjacent building. With a deep breath, Edd hoisted himself onto the smooth metal, vainly curling his nails into it to get a grip. 

 _Come on, practicing climbing trees in highschool has to pay off for something!_ He thought through gritted teeth.

He was able to latch onto a thin stretch of metal that jutted out from the pipe. He used this small strip to raise himself up, his legs tightly folding around the cylindrical pipe. He placed his hand against the wall of the other building to use as an anchor to move up higher. Slowly, tediously, and painfully, he made his way up the pipe, and was left heaving for air once he reached the rooftop of the building. Exhausted physically and mentally, he lied on the flat stone roof of the building, gazing out as he watched the sun gradually sinking below the horizon. He was enraptured for those few brief moments by the beauty of the sun. Even after all this time, nature never changed. It was still beautiful, and it was all he had left of the world he once knew. He already saw the dusty blue skies of dusk falling, and figured he couldn't waste anymore time gazing. Standing back up, he walked along the barren roof. There was a weird fluttery feeling in his stomach as he looked down below; everything seemed so much smaller than he was used to. Cars, signs, people...He couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to fall off from this height, but he quickly told himself that he didn't want to find out. Though he was filled with anxiety, he turned back and faced the short stretch of stone left. To get to the next building he would have to jump—just like an action movie! As cool as that was, Edd was uneasily aware of how badly it could go. But, what other choice did he have? So, with a running start, he leaped off the building's roof onto the second building right next to it. He landed hard on his feet, knees buckling, and winced at the pain that shot through his body. Fuck, the movies make it look so effortless and cool. But he had to admit, he had always wanted to do that.

But the prospect of jumping from building to building seemed far less cool and badass when there were seemed to be a  _million_ of them—also when your whole body hurts. That makes it pretty rough, too. But he pressed on as he always did, painstakingly jumping from building to building as the sun fell, the orange light that once bathed the buildings now replaced by an eerie darkness. As Edd made one last leap onto a shiny, triangular silver roof, he decided it was time to quit for the night. The stars were coming out and he was beyond exhausted. No doubt if he jumped again he'd fall and, well, die—and that would be bad!

He found a slanted part of the roof behind what looked like a chimney but not quite; it was made of metal and far too shiny to be a chimney. Regardless, Edd lied down behind it to shield him from any public view. The metal roof was cold and without a roof over him Edd was left shivering, but he would but up with it for the night. Just as he closed his eyes and was ready to slip into a much needed sleep, a robotic voice echoed. It was no louder than the wind, and Edd almost wondered if he imagined it.

_Detected, detected._

His eyes snapped open wide as a sudden sharp, searing pain shot through his thigh. It was painful and unexpected, much like getting a shot at the doctor's (if the shot were lethal, that is). He gasped and lifted himself up, craning his neck to look at his leg. A sharp, thick, long piece of metal—something that looked almost like a mini dagger—was sticking out of his thigh. His eyes widened as he heard the robotic voice again.

_Detected, detected._

He snapped his gaze over to a faint, red glow from a rectangular shape jutting out of the roof like the one he was sleeping by, except this one seemed to want him dead. It shot another dagger-arrow and Edd quickly pressed himself to floor of the roof to avoid it as it grazed over his head. He scuttled backwards, blood dripping onto the roof and standing out among the silver color, and heard more of the same robotic voice. More sentries lit up, and Edd didn't know what to do.

_Detected, detected._

He gulped; thinking quickly, there really was only one thing he could do. Before any of them could fire and hit him, Edd pushed himself backwards. He slipped off the roof and gave an instinctive startled gasp. His hands clung onto the thin, slippery metal shingles as the rest of his body was left dangling above a ~30 foot drop. He felt the piercing agony from the dagger in his leg and bit back a whine of pain. The sentries fired, all the arrows missing him as he was below the roof now, hanging by what felt like a thread. The smooth plating of the roof was starting to slip between Edd's grip and he tried desperately to latch on, but there was nothing substantial enough to hold onto. He ended up falling, barely sucking in a breath as terror gripped his entire body. He was left flailing in the air until his back prematurely crashed into something blunt, thin, and made of steel. He gasped at the pain and fell off the thin steel bars he had landed on, his body now hitting the concrete pavement like a stone.

Edd could barley open his eyes after the fall; everything hurt. Everything stung like burning fire. He was sure he was bleeding everywhere, but he couldn't even make that out in the total darkness. His head spun violently, and his chest heaved with shallow, raspy breaths. Blinking, his blurred vision could only make out the bright stars that hung overhead, looking like nothing but a Bokeh blur as he felt himself edging closer to unconsciousness.

He wondered feebly if he was dying. If he was, what would become of Matt and Tom?

 _I can't die!_ He struggled to tell himself. He fought against his fading conscious.  _I won't die._

He thought he could make out the outline of somebody—somebody with short black hair and a white shirt—but the vision was gone as soon as he blinked. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

Everything went black.


	2. Code of Honor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smaller chapter. YEET.

The fresh dawn light glittered off the grass's morning dew. Breathing in the moist morning air, Matt continued to walk stealthy around the alleys of the city. It could hardly be considered a casual stroll—not when he was so alert and on edge. But even for his awareness, he couldn't concentrate. Granted, he was never great with focus. His attention span was about the one of a stale pastry already and he never could find anything to hold his attention very long. Even still, this was different. He couldn't concentrate at the task on hand simple because of worry. After all, his friend went  _blind_. How could he not think of that? What would Tom do? For them to survive, everyone had to pull their own weight. What would happen now that Tom couldn't? He didn't want to be rude, now that his friend was visually disabled, but there was no chance of him surviving on his own. This was a dystopia! No army would care that they're hunting down a blind person who doesn't know how to cope with loosing their sight. If anything, they're  _glad_ to! It makes their job  _easier_! Matt couldn't imagine the fear Tom was feeling from not being able to see anymore. 

And what about himself? Truly, he was blessed that he was still alive—Matt recalled his own horrific experience when an arrow struck him in his left eye. His vision had gone red and then black, and no matter how much he tried to forget, he could recall the vivid, agonizing pain. Even now, a month after, he could still feel a faint throbbing in the left side of his head, but it was so faint he didn't know if it were actually there or if he was just imagining it—he was lucky to live. The arrow hadn't gone through his head, and even more miraculous, his wound didn't get infected. He remembered Edd fretted constantly about an infection occurring, and would spend countless hours searching for medical supplies for him. Edd wouldn't admit it, but Matt could tell his friend blamed himself for this. He was the one that convinced them to join the resistance, it must not be easy knowing every injury and hungry night was his responsibility.

A shudder passed through his body remembering it all, and he growled at himself.  _Stop getting sidetracked, damn it!_ Edd and Tom needed him now more than ever to find food and supplies! So that's just what he'll do.

* * *

"Have you seen Edd?"

Matt blinked at the question. By now, it was a little past afternoon, and the sun would start to set in an hour or so. Matt had just returned with some supplies and even a comic book he found lying on the sidewalk. He thought Edd would like it. 

"Is he not back yet?" Matt replied to Tom, who was lying down with Tequila curled up next to him. 

"I haven't heard anyone come back except you," Tom answered. The use of  _heard_ and not  _seen_ sharply reminded Matt of his friend's now lost sight.

"You know how Edd is. I'm sure he'll be back by night," Matt dismissed him, but couldn't help but feel a nagging sense of urgency. What if something happened? What if Edd was hurt, or worse, dead? What would he do? 

"Maybe," Tom mumbled doubtfully, pulling Matt out of his thoughts. He looked down at his crestfallen friend, overwhelmed with sympathy. He was never good with dealing with or showing emotions, but the nagging pain in his heart nudged him into taking a seat next to Tom, Tequila being not too far off. She lifted her head and blinked drowsily at his arrival, but soon went back to napping. 

"Hey," Matt suddenly spoke up, hoping to ease the dreadful silence. He flicked his wrist that was holding the comic book, causing it to give a short, fluttery sound. "I found a comic book, you think Edd would like it?" Matt asked.

"What's it about?" Tom asked, seeming he was only asking out of obligation and not actual interest. Matt, however, ignored the tone.

"Uhm...Scooby-Doo," Matt answered after perusing the cover for a bit. "I didn't know they made comics."

"Of  _course_ they made comics. Are you daft?" Tom snapped back, lowering his head again to lie against the floor. Matt bit back a sharp reply. After all, he could understand why Tom was so short tempered. The other wasn't usually nice to begin with, being hungry and now blind must really suck, for lack of a better word. So, he didn't push it. Tom obviously didn't want to talk right now. 

Defeated, Matt picked himself up and trudged into the nearby smaller room that had one, dirty, old mattress in it. This was where he, Edd, and Tom slept. Albeit uncomfortable due to the mattress's torn and old self, combined with the fact there were three of them, it still served its purpose. At first, Matt only planned to sit down and read the comic to entertain himself, but he soon found the stiff, bumpy cushion of the mattress to be alluring, and hunger plus the scavenging of the day was weighing down on him. He lied down against the ragged pelt of the sorry excuse for a bed and closed his eyes, realizing he was far too tired to care about what he slept on. As always, his conscious faded out on the wish that this reality was all just some horrible, horrible dream.

* * *

 

"Get up."

There was a prodding in Matt's side as he reluctantly blinked his eyes opened and yawned. From the darkness and sparse lighting through cracked windows he could tell it was well into the night. At first, he was confused as to why he was the only one on the bed, and also to why he would be woken up at this hour. However, as his memories returned, he remembered he fell asleep by himself. Even then, why hadn't the others joined him to sleep? 

His good eye had focused in the darkness and he could make out Tom staring at him. His eyes were even blacker than the environment around him. No longer did he look angry, but merely just depressed. Matt was about to ask why, but he figured he already knew the answer. 

"Why are you waking me up, Tom?" Matt asked, his jaw stretching into another yawn. "Where's Edd?"

"That's the thing, he hasn't come back." Tom spoke evenly but there was a clear level of anxiety in his tone. "It's well past midnight."

 "It is...?" Matt sat up, suddenly feeling energy rush into his body. "Edd's not here?"

"That's what I just said, moron!" Tom snapped impatiently. "He hasn't come back at all!" 

 _It's not like Edd to stay out past night,_ Matt conceded in his head. Worry pricked uncomfortably in his chest. _Where's Edd?_

"Calm down, maybe he's just taking his time doing something," Matt reasoned. Though he was worried himself, he wasn't about to show that to Tom—he was far too prideful for that. As for Tom himself, the other just flashed a doubtful look with his blinded eyes, but nodded wordlessly. The uncomfort in Matt's chest was soon replaced with pity upon the gesture. If this were only a week earlier, Tom would've ignored Matt and gone out looking for Edd himself. But now he seemed to accept his defeat; he must know how little he could do in his current state.

_I wish I could make this better somehow._

"Do you want to sleep?" Matt gently offered. "I can stay up and look out for Edd."

"No." Tom turned away and began heading out the small room only to pause near the door frame. "You should come out and eat, though."

Matt sat in confusion for a heartbeat before Tom's words had clicked. Right, they usually eat after sunset when everyone was back at the base, and Matt had just slept through that. Still, he felt uneasy. Should they really be eating while Edd was gone? Shouldn't they wait for him?

Matt found himself trudging out of bed and through the small room. Once out, he saw Tom sitting near a wall with his head angled upwards looking at the ceiling, Tequila sitting next to him. Blinking a few times and letting his eye adjust formally to the dark, He saw that Tequila was napping and that a dead rat lied neatly in front of her.  _Gross._

Tom seemed to hear Matt approaching and lifted his head. "I didn't think you would actually come out," he admitted.

"I didn't, either," Matt replied, wondering why he even had gotten up at all. He was hungry, but it wasn't like he was planning on eating—not without Edd.

"Well, you may as well eat then." Tom didn't seem to notice Matt's reluctant feelings on eating before Edd came back. Regardless, he grabbed something from their small stash of food—he probably didn't even know what he was grabbing—before lightly tossing it over to Matt. He missed and threw it a few several inches further towards the right, but Matt wasn't going to point that out. He reached over and grabbed the packet of crackers he had thrown with a small "thanks".

"Have  _you_ eaten?" Matt asked after he grabbed the crackers. Looking at them made his mouth water, but he reminded himself he should wait. So, he let them lay idly by him as he sat down.

Tom shook his head. "Tequila caught me a rat, but I'm not hungry."

"The rat's for  _you?_ " Matt stared with disbelief. His obviously shocked and disgusted tone earned a chuckle from Tom.

"I can eat weird shit you guys can't, remember?" Tom reminded him. Thinking back on it, Matt  _did_ recall that Tom was able to drink paint and eat clothing like it were regular food without any repercussions. He even remembered a time Edd dared him in highschool to drink motor oil and then eat a match and he was fine, but that was a long time ago. He supposed a dead rat would be one of the lesser weird things Tom has ingested. "It saves food for the rest of you. Still," Tom went on, "I don't like eating rodents. I love rats."

"I suppose you have a point..." Matt mumbled, glad Tom wasn't hungry right this minute. He didn't want to see his friend eat a rat like a ravenous fox. "Still, should we really eat before Edd gets back?" his good eye was focused on the moonlight seeping through the cracks of the house. Every minute that went by was another minute into the night that Edd was gone. Despite his calm demeanor earlier, Matt was worried for his friend. He was the most wanted criminal, after all, who knows what could happen to him? And despite this, Matt was almost willing to start eating without him. He was  _starving,_ and he could barely wait an extra second.

"I do think it's rude, but you know what Edd would say—" Tom suddenly straightened up which caused Tequila to stir and blink awake. putting on a grumpy, stern face, he lowered his voice to a gravely and monotonous tone. "'You can’t be wasting time waiting for me to join your picnic! You need to keep your strength up and look after yourselves!'" he imitated.

Matt broke into a giggle. "He would totally say that."

"I know, right? I can read him like a book," Tom smirked. He slouched down again against the wall, his short-lived amusement soon fading into a forlorn sigh. "I wish Edd wasn’t so bossy. He wasn’t normally like that, was he?"

"Not usually," Matt shook his head. Save for highschool, Edd wasn’t the bossy type. Sure, he was a leader, but that doesn’t mean he was _bossy_. He liked being in charge and telling people what to do, but he always did so casually and in good humor. Now, he seemed anything but, with all his orders being serious and cold. "But you can’t blame him, the fate of the world is practically at his shoulders," Matt pointed out, noting the fact Edd was the Resistance leader and main threat to Red Leader which made him the number one target out of all of them.

"I suppose you have a point. Still kind of sucks." Tom’s head rested against the wall, his eyes glazed and directionless. "I mean, this all kind of sucks."

"What clued you in?" Matt sarcastically quipped back. 

"The fact we're all basically slowly dying at the hands of Tord, of all people," Tom grumbled. Hearing the name  _Tord_ and not  _Red Leader_ made Matt flinch. "And really, after all we did for him? I basically taught that prick English," Tom added on. 

"You also bullied him every chance you got," Matt pointed out.

"So did you! You strung him up by clothes pins 'cuz he made fun of you!" Tom retorted, referencing an event of their highschool lives. Matt laughed at the memory.

"That was hilarious, though!" He pointed out, still chuckling.

"It's probably what made him such a psychopath."

"What, me hanging him by clothespins and calling him 'clothespin boy'?" Matt rhetorically asked with a wide grin. "What a great anime villain backstory."

"Hey, he needs  _something_ to justify his actions," Tom snorted in response. As soon as the words left his mouth, however, he fell eerily silent. His sightless eyes seemed glazed with deep thought, and before Matt could say a word, Tom had spoken again. "Do you think Red Leader feels the same way about us?"

Matt narrowed his eye with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Like...that we're just trying to find ways to justify our actions?" Tom shrugged, seeming uncomfortable with his own conclusion.

"Of course our actions are justified!" Matt snarled back.

"But we've  _killed_ several Red Army soldiers—doesn't that make us just as bad?"

"They had it coming to them," Matt hissed, and for a moment he felt startled at his own unfiltered rage and aggression. Despite it, he carried on. "A few dead Red Army soldiers is nothing compared to the hundreds of lives Red Leader has taken."

Quietly, Tom gave an acknowledging hum to Matt's words, but didn't bother to rebuttal or agree. He stayed silent, and the only noise between him and Matt were the howling winds outside. 

As much as Matt hated to admit it, Tom posed a point. Did the ends really justify the means here? Of course they did! How could he doubt himself? Everything will seem better in the morning when Edd returns. He always knows how to lead them. But if something happened to Edd...what would they do? How could they carry on? Would Edd's death—and the Red Army soldiers, for that matter—be in vain?

Suddenly, Matt felt even more desperate for Edd to return.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u liked it! I'll do chapter 2 sometime idk  
> Idk how to feel about this. I don't think it's my best work, but if you enjoyed it that's all that matters!! Comments are appreciated plz validate me


End file.
